Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/72093
SOMATIC RESEARCH REFINE SEARCH: CLINICAL TRIALS If a review has not yet been conducted on your preferred subject, or if the few that exist do not meet your criteria, conduct a search of clinical trials to find supporting evidence. If the search yield is overwhelming, narrow the search by getting more specific; for example, specify that the term massage must be in the title or abstract. We learned in the previous search that many references were listed that did not focus on massage therapy, but instead were reviews on chiropractic, physical therapy, or alternative medicine in general. In addition, interesting articles were not freely available, which can be costly and frustrating. Specify free, full-text articles and see if this is fruitful. You may be able to go back to the original search terms and get a manageable list of articles to review. Change the following limits on your search: 1. Click "Advanced" below the search bar and use the builder to specify that massage is in the title or abstract of the study. To do so, scroll down the first list under "All Fields" and click on "Title/Abstract." 2. Type the term massage in the search bar next to "Title/Abstract." 3. Leave the next "All Fields" as is and type "chronic pain" in the search bar. 4. Under "Limits," uncheck the box for "Reviews" and check the box for "Clinical Trials." 5. Click on "Search." This results in 22 articles listed; all massage therapy clinical trials, all with free access to the full-text articles in English. The list includes studies on headaches, osteoarthritis of the knee, low-back pain, neck pain, and many others that look promising. Read several that you find interesting, and critique them according to the guidelines presented in previous Somatic Research articles: 1. Check the level of evidence. Clinical trials that randomize participants and test against control groups rank higher than pilot studies or case reports. 2. Note the sample size. Larger studies demonstrate generalizability over studies with only a few participants. 3. Check the methods. Was the massage protocol performed by licensed massage therapists or untrained caregivers? Does the protocol make sense? Is this how you might work with someone in practice? Print out the studies that best reflect the population you wish to work with and that demonstrate the efficacy of massage for pain. Share these with potential referring health-care providers and promote your ability to help safely relieve chronic pain. Notes 1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Vital Signs: Overdoses of Prescription Opioid Pain Relievers," accessed April 2012, www.cdc.gov/ mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6043a4.htm. 2. Lisa Girion, Scott Glover, and Doug Smith, "Drug Deaths Now Outnumber Traffic Fatalities in US, Data Show," Los Angeles Times, September 17, 2011, accessed April 2012, http://articles.latimes.com/2011/sep/17/ local/la-me-drugs-epidemic-20110918. 3. MetroWest Daily News, "Physician Focus: Don't Let Back Pain Get You Down," accessed April 2012, www.metrowestdailynews.com/lifestyle/ columnists/x10289243/Physician-Focus- Dont-let-back-pain-get-you-down?zc_p=1. 4. USA Today, "Painkiller Overdose Deaths Triple in Decade," accessed April 2012, http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/ story/2011-11-01/Deaths-from-painkiller- overdose-triple-in-decade/51027242/1. 5. Institute of Medicine, Relieving Pain in America: A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education and Research (Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2011). 6. Ibid. 7. Pain-Topics.org, "Are Opiod Pain Reliever Deaths an Epidemic?" accessed April 2012, http://updates.pain-topics.org/2011/11/ are-opioid-pain-reliever-deaths.html. 8. ClinicalTrials.gov, "Search of: Pain and Chronic," accessed April 2012, www.clinicaltrials.gov/ ct/search?term=Pain+and+Chronic. 9. P.M. Barnes, B. Bloom, and R.L. Nahin, "Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Adults and Children," National Health Statistics Reports 12 (2008): 1–23. 10. Deborah J. Cook et al., "Systematic Reviews: Synthesis of Best Evidence for Clinical Decisions," Annals of Internal Medicine 126, no. 6 (1997): 376–80. 11. C. Crawford, S. Jain, and W.B. Jonas. Introduction to Systematic Reviews Workbook, Samueli Institute, 2012. (Author workbook for private seminar.) 12. L. Kalichman, "Massage Therapy for Fibromyalgia Symptoms," Rheumatology International 30, no. 9 (July 2010): 1,151–7. 13. G.A. Malanga and E.J. Cruz Colon, "Myofascial Low-Back Pain: A Review," Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Clinics of America 21, no. 4 (November 2010): 711–24. A licensed massage practitioner since 1984, Diana L. Thompson has created a varied and interesting career out of massage: from specializing in pre- and postsurgical lymph drainage to teaching, writing, consulting, and volunteering. Her consulting includes assisting insurance carriers on integrating massage into insurance plans and educating researchers on massage therapy theory and practice to ensure research projects and protocols are designed to match how we practice. Contact her at soapsage@comcast.net. Celebrate ABMP's 25th anniversary and you may win a refund on your membership. ABMP.com. 51